Sunday, June 21, 2015

Istanbul - Where Orient Meets Occident




Just close your eyes and imagine a far away place where Orient meets Occident, where a bridge connects Asia with Europe, where the old Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Osmans erected stunning buildings and now people from all over the world come to visit, admiring it's beauty.
Got the picture? No more guessing, it's Istanbul the former Constantinople, Capital of the East Roman Empire.
The sights, sounds and scents of the city are amazing.
When you walk through Istanbul, open not only your eyes but experience the place with all your senses.
So many long gone Empires ruled here and left their traces, the stunning Byzantine Hagia Sophia , one of the most beautiful  buildings the world has ever seen, the amazing Blue Mosque, The Basilica Cistern, for sure the world's most beautiful water reservoir.
After hours of strolling through the city, visiting the many sights it has to offer, we decided to experience the ambience of Istanbul,  enjoying a Turkish coffee at the garden of the Archeological Museum.
Surrounded by stunning vegetation, it's a place where time and the noise of modern Istanbul  stand still for a precious moment and the old Greek columns, sarcophagus and sculptures seem to speak to the visitors.
The nights are long in Istanbul and in the evening there are many restaurants serving excellent Turkish cuisine making it quite difficult which one to choose.
Pricy roof top bars with amazing views invite visitors to sip drinks and enjoy the amazing views over the city.  
Later, trendy nightclubs for the young and beautiful ones open their doors with the beat of Arabic and International Dancefloor music.
The next morning, I would recommend you to try some Anatolian Breakfast to recover your energies. It offers different kind of fruits, veggies, cheese, Philo past filled with spinach or cheese and wonderful honey with fresh made yogurt, the perfect treat to start a new day.

The perfect beauty of Hagia Sophia, built in the 6th century.
It's central dome was often interpreted as the dome of heaven itself.

The splendor of the Ottoman Empire captured in this room at the Topkapi Palace.



Charms and decorations, used to repel the evil eye.

A colorful selection of hand made soaps.

Tasting Turkish Coffee at the Grand Bazaar


Sharing ou breakfast with this cute little fellow


A huge variety of bath sponges on display

The right ilumination for 1001 nights

The legendary Blue Mosque

Having tea at the garden of the Archeological Museum


Rich sweets made of honey and pistaccios called rightfully Turkish Delights

A symphony in blue at the Topkapi Palace


 Freshly made bread at a restaurant

The old city seen from the Bosphorus side


Our last evening at Istanbul - dinner at a friend's place with a to die for view over the city and the sea

Places to visit:
Hagia Sophia- http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/haso/hd_haso.htm
Chora Church -  http://www.choramuseum.com/history/mosaics-and-frescoes/, one of my favorites, it-s mosaics are stunning. Unfortunatly, the main part is under restauration until 2016, but the entrance, which is open to the public is worth the visit.
 Basilica Cistern - http://www.istanbultrails.com/2008/06/the-basilica-cistern-the-coolest-spot-in-town/
Blue Mosque - http://www.bluemosque.co/
Topkapi Palace -  http://topkapisarayi.gov.tr/en
Insider Tip:
-A beautiful place to enjoy Turkish tea or coffee is the garden of the Archeological Museum   
http://www.istanbularkeoloji.gov.tr/main_page
-Instead of the quite pricy and very touristic Bosphorus cruises take one of the regular ferry boats - an enjoyable aprox. 2 hours boat trip at a moderate price.






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Friday, June 5, 2015

Celebrating Spring With Music at Ernstbrunn Castle and Elderberry Delights


Ernstbrunn Castle in Lower Austria

Elder flowers in the castles gardens


Two weeks ago we left behind the grey winter days in Lima to enjoy spring time in Austria.
So far so good, sounds great to enjoy two summers in one year, travelling to nice places but the truth is we were living several days of pure chaos, stumbling around lots several pieces of luggage (3months is a long time) and trying to get organized.
Now we are finally settled down and enjoying the company of family, friends, spring, cultural events and culinary highlights.
Today is a holiday here in Austria and we made an excursion to Lower Austria, assisting to a wonderful concert in a fairy tale setting, the castle of Ernstbrunn situated in the soft hills of the region of Weinviertel.
The castle dates from the eleventh century and was constantly enlarged during the following centuries.
It actually belongs to the princely family of Reuss.
Beethoven, Reger and Mozart were on the program and the musicians members of the Viennese Philharmonics.
And as concerts make me hungry,a picnic in the shadow of flowering elder bushes with an out of this world view ended the day in style.
Elder flowers are in season here and there are so many wonderful drinks, jams and desserts made with them that it was a quite difficult choice which one to share with you.

 The outline of Castle Ernstbrunn dominates the landscape what you see here is the castle's back side, which dates from another, elder period then the front side. 

The entrance of the castle of Ernstbrunn

The code of arms

The second entrance gate

A deer watches over the staircase

Details of the ceiling

A beautiful Baroque sculpture shows us how to age gracefully

A room with a view

Another courtyard, sleeping beauty like, is waiting to be restaured

So many entrance halls - this one was my favorite ones.


The Festival hall where the concert took place. There is no electricity, just gorgeous candle light.

Concert programm

A rather grim ancestor watches over the festival hall.

Sleeping beauties - pot-bellied pigs at the nearby Wild Life Parc. Any suggestions for a diet?


La vie en bleu. Starting to unpack our Picnic.

A fairy tale view.

So romantic- a pair of weather beaten horse sculptures guarding the entrance to the garden

If you are interested about information regarding the castle and cultural activities go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernstbrunn
or
http://www.ernstbrunn.gv.at/system/web/gelbeseite.aspx?bezirkonr=0&detailonr=219352929&menuonr=219189921
Elder flower Delights:
*Elder flower and strawberry sorbet:
4 cups strawberries
1/cup boiling water
1 1/4 cup elder flower cordial
Zest of 1 organic lemon
Method:
Place all ingredients in a foodprocessor and process until combined.
Fill in a freezer safe container and place in the freezer for about 3 hours.
When the sorbet starts to freeze around the edges, take it out of the freezer and  place in a food processor, process until smooth.
Return the sorbet to freezer until ready to serve.
Serve in Coctail glasses, add 1/2 glass of Prosecco (optional) and decorate with fresh mint.
Serves 8-10 p.
Enjoy!
*Recipe adapted from Donna Hay.
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